Not Safe For Work
Contemporary Romance
Forever
May 20, 2025
Paperback, Ebook, Audiobook
352
NSFW
“Not Safe For Work” or NSFW as the internet is affectionately calling it, might be Nisha J Tuli‘s best work yet. Known for her Artefacts of Ouranos series, Tuli temporarily steps out of her fantasy world and lands on the warm sands of Hawaii to deliver us a steamy, lightning-filled pages of electric rivals to lovers. Her first contemporary romance, but with the reception that it’s already getting in just a few days of being published, this surely won’t be her last.
Add this to your summer reading list today. NSFW is perfect for reading on vacation, on the beach, or even just out in the yard to help you set the scene for a staycation.
Chock Full of Tropes
Tuli’s first contemporary romance builds from all of those tropes that we’ve come to swoon over in our love stories. Rivals to lovers, workplace romance, forced proximity, only one bed. All of these on their own are enjoyable. Tuli, though, weaves all of these together to build an incredible story that had me flipping page after page to see what would happen next.
One trope that I haven’t seen talked about much is hurt/comfort, which is so skillfully and subtly done, but spoke volumes to me. I think I’m in my hurt/comfort era, and a specific scene where Rafe comforts and cares for Tris that had me moony-eyed. Don’t get me wrong, I am a sucker for the grand gesture, but there’s something about finding love in the small details that seem to make a big impact.
Additionally, Tuli should also be commended for not falling into the insta-love trope in this story. It would have been easy for these two characters to be on a work trip for a week and fall in love. Tuli took measures to build out the story over 3 weeks instead of one, giving more opportunities for our characters to work through their rivalry and learn about the real person underneath.
“I turn up the volume, and there he is. Charming Rafe. Charismatic Rafe. The Rafe he’s always been for everyone but me.”
“Not Safe For Work” by Nisha J Tuli
Final Thoughts
Trishara is a woman that we all can empathize with. She’s intellectual, driven, goal-oriented, and passionate about her career and future. The obstacles that she has had to work through just to be treated in the same way as a man in her same position is staggering.
As a reader, it was hard for me to read her experiences that are so familiar to me and people I care about, but it’s important to be shown. Tuli ultimately gives readers a sharp, electric romance and it would be easy to dismiss Trishara’s struggles. Women, women of color, and marginalized people have to fight harder and longer just to get less than their white, privileged counterparts.
I found that reading this book as an ebook was the best option for me, but there are so many of my friends who enjoyed the audiobook as well. Soneela Nankani narrates the audio in just under 11 hours. Grab the audiobook if you like to earball read.
“Not Safe For Work” is out now!
"A break on the rocks. A star dropped from the sky. This. Is. A. Reckoning."
I’m Val, and I’m excited to share my love of books with you! I’m a sassy Sour Patch kid from New Jersey, dog mom to Chance the beagle, and much like the rest of the Hive, I’m a coffee lover (I think it’s a requirement to be here). The first book I remember reading voluntarily involved a boy wizard who lived in the cupboard under the stairs, and I’ve been chasing magic ever since. I love Happily Ever Afters, and I love love. My favorite genres are romance and rom-coms, fantasy, and young adult/new adult. If I’m not reading, I’m probably kayaking, watching the Great British Baking Show, or discovering a new craft beer.
